The aim of this study is to describe strategies that enable participation and social interplay when students with intellectual disability are integrated in elementary school. The study draws upon the experiences of some teachers in the compulsory school for students with learning disabilities, and highlight their experiences of integrating pupils with intellectual disability in elementary school and strategies they use to create conditions for participation and social interaction. The study also highlights the opportunities and difficulties that the teachers describe as enabling participation and social interaction  

The study has a qualitative approach and data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with six teachers who teach in the compulsory school for learning disabilities and elementary school.

The theoretical approach of the study is based on the activity theory in order to illustrate the aim of this study and answer the research guestions. The processing and analysis of the results uses a further developed version of the activity theory that is adapted to this study.

The result shows that previous experience of teaching students from the compulsory school for students with learning disabilities is of importance to the teachers to be able to work with confidence in two different curricula and with support efforts. As a strategy, it appears that visual support and adaptations are important for creating conditions for participation and social interplay. A dilemma described is the need for an assistant who may be detrimental to the possibility of being fully involved and part of a social context in elementary school.